As a poet in the modern age, I find it natural to turn to the internet for inspiration and guidance. However, it can be frustrating when you can’t find the website you need.

I’ve been there, and I’d like to help. Therefore, here are five websites that I use regularly to boost my creativity and help me create many of the poems you know and love.

Best of all, they’re FREE to use!

Thesaurus.com

Word choice is everything in poetry. However, you might know what you want to say but can’t figure out which word to use. With a thesaurus, you can put in the phrase or word you’re struggling with and find something that gives your poem the oomph it needs.

RhymeZone

I love a good rhyming poem, but I often struggle to find the rhymes to use. This website solves both those problems! It’s not always perfect, but it’s one of the best resources for poets on the internet.

Syllable Counter

Syllabic poetry is one of the most popular kinds, but who can keep up with all those syllables? This syllable counter will keep track of the syllables for you and give you a visual of where all your syllables fall within the poem. Again, it’s not perfect, but it’s great for new and established poets alike.

Project Gutenberg

If a poetry collection is in the public domain, Project Gutenberg will probably have it. They have everything from the greats (Homer, Pope, Poe, Dickinson, etc.) to the unknowns, making it one of the best websites for research and inspiration.

The Phrontistery

Finally, this is the website for those who like to write poems using words that no longer exist in our vocabulary. They have everything from ancient ways to tell your fortunes (like ololygmancy- “fortune telling by the howling of dogs”) to obscure words (like deckle- “the ragged edge of paper”) and everything in between. It’s my favorite website for finding themes, inspiration, and words that take my poetry to the next level!

These five websites are ones that I use when creating poetry, and I hope that they can offer you the same type of help and inspiration as they do me.

Do you agree with my list? What are some of the websites YOU use when creating poetry? Let me know in the comments!